


Gemini Rising

by lydia_rogue



Category: RWBY
Genre: Abuse, Adam being Adam, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Background Relationships, Canon Disabled Character, Faunus Yatsuhashi Daichi, Gaslighting, M/M, Manipulation, Post-Fall of Beacon, Suicidal Thoughts, Team CFVY - Freeform, Trans Blake Belladonna, Trans Fox Alistair, Trans Velvet Scarlatina, Unreliable Narrator, White Fang AU, minor After the Fall spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-01-25 19:59:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18581545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lydia_rogue/pseuds/lydia_rogue
Summary: It's been three days since the Fall of Beacon, and Yatsuhashi find himself mourning more than the loss of his school.Deep in his grief, his brother convinces him to come back to his rightful place as a White Fang Lieutenant.





	1. Act I

**Author's Note:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

As he woke up, he took tally of what was going on around him. His splitting headache was the most concerning, closely followed by his lack of shirt. 

Yatsuhashi couldn't feel any bandages on his side, so he opened his eyes, trying to get a better feel for what was happening. 

He was on a cot in a tent - unlike anything he'd ever used at Beacon, but the setting brought up much older memories. Gingerly sitting up, he looked around the space. A small wardrobe, table and chairs, and carpets on the ground. He knew the layout like the back of his hand - he practically grew up in tents like this one, though this one was far fancier than any he'd had before running away to Beacon. 

At least here the lack of shirt wouldn't be a problem.

His memory of the days leading up to this are spotty. He shakes his head, trying to clear it, but he doesn't really remember much beyond a battle - the tournament going sideways… 

No memory of how he ended up back at a White Fang camp. 

The pounding in his head wasn't helping his memory at all, so he just gently rubbed his temples. Chances were the memories would come back in time. 

There didn't seem to be anything keeping him here - he wondered what would happen if he just got up and left - but he also wasn't sure where he was, or how to get back to the rest of his team. 

"- might still be out of it." The low growl outside the tent immediately made Yatsuhashi's heart rate spike, but he didn't have time to react before the tent flap was pushed open and the hulking man in a White Fang uniform came in. 

The mask - which covered most of his face, unlike most of the grim masks they wore - didn't conceal his excitement at seeing Yatsuhashi. "Brother - I'm so glad you're awake."

"Yōkan… what happened?" he asked. Despite not having seen his twin in three years, it was reassuring to have him here now - something to ground him as he figured out how he'd gotten here.

Yōkan took the mask off, but didn't look Yatsuhashi in the eye. "What do you remember?"

"I remember the fighting - my team… Velvet was trying to hold her own against the paladins, but then something happened and…" He shook his head, trying to clear the fog from his memory. There had to be more. 

Yōkan sighed and pulled the chair next to the bed before sitting down heavily. "Beacon didn't survive the attack." He was quiet, still staring down at the ground. 

Yatsuhashi barely heard the words, distracted by his brother's behavior. He hated that Yōkan couldn't shake his old habits around him, suddenly felt the need to hide. He reached out to touch his twin's cheek. "Yōkan, it's just me, it's okay." 

Yōkan's smile was tight - showing just the barest hint of his teeth. "Old habits die hard, and it's been so long."

His heart ached. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He hadn't wanted to cut his brother out, but he had seen no other choice when he had left for Beacon. 

"Beacon fell," he prompted, trying to see what else had happened.

Yōkan looked up at him. "Beacon was falling. Adam had made a deal with one of the local crime lords - Dust and weapons in exchange for our help bringing the school down. He never would have agreed if we'd known you were there."

Yatsuhashi's stomach started to sink. He'd known Sienna was more direct in her methods than Ghira, but bringing down one of the Academies? It seemed extreme. "What happened?"

"It was a mess. I didn't quite believe my eyes when I first saw you - and by then it was too late." Yōkan stared at the tent wall for a long moment. "It was obvious who your teammates were. I tried to redirect our people away from where you were, but it was too late.

"They'd spotted you - and worse, somehow, students had seen me and made the connection. Our people were upset, but the _students_ …" He pressed the heels of his hands into his closed eyes. "We barely got you out of there alive, brother."

"And my teammates?" Yatsuhashi asked, voice somehow still level. 

Yōkan looked up, tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Yatsu."

It was the same tone of voice he'd used when their parents had died. "No. They - they couldn't have," he said, voice cracking. Bits and pieces were coming back to him, but it was all still a blur. "Velvet - she held her own against the paladins."

"The students thought she was one of us - it was the three of them against grim, Fang, their own classmates…"

"They wouldn't have - why would they attack _us_?"

Yōkan shook his head. "They thought your team was part of it. Hiding a White Fang conspirator in your ranks, helping orchestrate the attack… You know how easily humans turn on faunus."

"And I never told them," he whispered, horror-stricken as he realized they wouldn't even have known why their classmates were turning on them.

"What was her name, with the rabbit ears?"

"Velvet." The words were hollow. He couldn't feel pain anymore.

Yōkan wiped tears away. "They blamed her too."

Yatsuhashi looked down at his hands. It was too much. "Just - just go, please."

Yōkan nodded and put his mask back on. "If you need me, I'll be with Adam. You can stay as long as you'd like, or go, if you prefer. I wouldn't hold it against you."

Yatsuhashi nodded, maintaining his composure until Yōkan left. Then, alone, he broke down into sobs.

* * *

_They'd shared a kiss a few days before, stolen in the early morning light after a training session, and he knew he couldn't keep it from his partner any longer. He had the right to know before this became something more._

_Carving out more than a minute of privacy was nearly impossible, but they set aside the time._

_There's something I need to tell you._

_Their words and body language mirrored one another - hugging themselves around their waist as they sat on their beds, facing one another but carefully not touching._

_You first, Yatsuhashi said._

_I'm trans._

_He reached over to put a hand on his partner's knee. I'm a faunus._

_It wasn't the same secret, but he felt like they'd both just bared their souls in the same way._

No one noticed Yatsuhashi as he left his tent. There wasn't a guard at the entrance. A couple of people startled at the lack of mask - Yōkan almost never took his off - but he was greeted with warm smiles. 

He made note of the new faces - plenty of new recruits - and tried to keep an eye out for faunus he recognized, but they were few and far between. 

The White Fang was tight-knit, but truth was few people survived it more than a year or two. You either retired to Menagerie or you died - sometimes at the hand of your brothers in the Fang. 

He wandered - nothing was keeping him at the camp - and found himself on a small road that wound through the woods towards a village. 

The buildings were almost exclusively new construction, and there was a new group of tents that had popped up in every spare corner of the village - with a few brave souls having set up camp outside of the safety of the town's walls. 

_Refugees_ he realized as he navigated the streets towards a large building that seemed to host an emergency medical station. 

"Can I help at all?" Yatsuhashi asked the first person he came across who looked like they knew what they were doing. 

He got a curt nod in return and was put to work helping sort triage cases, as well as carrying people inside if they couldn't do it themselves. 

His heart was heavy as he listened to their stories. Beacon wasn't the only place that had fallen - parts of Vale, too. People fleeing homes, attacked in the city. They had barely made it here alive. 

The last anyone had seen of Beacon, it was little more than rubble. 

Hours passed as he busied himself. It wasn't until after dark he was pulled aside and given a bowl of soup - the same stuff he'd been serving up to the refugees who'd been coming through for the past hour. 

It was the same person who had originally waved him into the hall. "Do you have a place to stay? We can find you a spot - it would be no trouble."

He'd mentioned at one point he'd been at Beacon, or maybe they recognized him from the tournament. 

Part of him ached to stay, but there was nothing for him here. 

Yōkan and Adam had never lied to him, and there was no reason to think they'd start now - plus everything he'd seen only corroborated what they'd told him. 

"No, I need to get back home. Thank you for your hospitality."

His companion nodded. "Thank you, son, for all your hard work. If you ever need a place to stay, you're welcome here."

Food untouched, he got up and made his way back to camp.

* * *

_What do you think about Ghira and Kali stepping down?_

_They'll do good things for Menagerie._

_And Sienna?_

_We'll see._

Yatsuhashi spent the next three days in his tent, barely touching his food. He didn't want to be here, but there wasn't anywhere else for him to be. 

Late on the fifth day at camp, there was a commotion outside of his tent. 

"I don't think he's ready for that." Adam's voice was harsh. 

"I think it'll help with closure - he doesn't want to let go."

Yatsuhashi can't hear Adam's response, but Yōkan makes his way into the tent a moment later. 

"Yatsu," he said, taking off his mask. "I had some of our people go back to Beacon - to look for survivors."

Yatsuhashi looked up, hoping against hope that it would be good news. 

But Yōkan's eyes were downcast as he pulled something out of his pocket. "They couldn't bring back bodies, but…" He held out his hand. "They did find this."

Yatsuhashi reached out to take the offered item. At first glance, it was a twisted hunk of scrap metal. 

He turned it over in his hands, slowly making out the crushed shape of Coco's belt buckle. Rubbing his thumb over it, he was able to knock some of the soot off it, but it lacked the once-golden sheen it had always had. "Thank you, Yōkan," he said, voice flat.

"I'm sorry we couldn't save them."

"It's not your fault."

Yōkan put his hand on Yatsu's shoulder, then left. 

Yatsuhashi willed the tears to come, but he just felt numb. 

He should have never tried to leave in the first place. He should have known it was only going to lead to pain.

It didn't take much to find a length of string in the tent, turning the mangled buckle into necklace. 

Tucking it into his shirt, he stood up and opened the wardrobe.

The numbness faded as he dressed deliberately, tucking his pants into his boots. A white vest went over his usual black shirt, leaving his tattoos exposed for the first time in two years. 

Everything was tucked, folded, tightened - still fitting him like a second skin - as he put them on. 

He picked up his weapon in one hand, unfamiliar heft giving him pause. It came alive at the slightest touch - well-maintained in the past two years.

Finally, he picked up the last piece of the outfit and put it on, covering his face.

He took a moment, his own breath echoing against the heavy mask, before looking in the mirror.

Yatsuhashi Daichi, White Fang Lieutenant, stared back at him.


	2. Act II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have read _After the Fall_ in full and some of the details (weapon names, semblances, partner pairs) included here are canon. Some are not! This is firmly an AU. Nothing plot-related is spoiled, it's all worldbuilding and similar. It goes beyond what's available in the free preview. You've been warned.

The memories of the battle came back slowly and in pieces. He didn't remember much of what had happened after the fight with the paladins. 

Trying to escort students to an airship - being blocked by members of the White Fang - then… 

He remembered, distinctly, the sound of Yōkan's chainsaw - Leverage - jumping to life. It was a sound he'd never forget, and hearing it on the battlefield that day filled him with dread. 

Beyond that, he couldn't remember. He'd blocked out the memories - and perhaps that was for the best. 

All he wanted to do was forget - forget he'd ever tried to leave his brother, forget that he'd ever had a life outside of the White Fang. 

But his semblance didn't work like that, and so he was left with nothing more than a head and heart ache. 

Part of him had never completely left - couldn't have left. He'd gotten a new weapon, but kept the name Fulcrum. 

He'd tracked the White Fang movements on his scroll, and still had the same contact information as he'd had before.

But just like he couldn't forget his White Fang past then, he couldn't forget his teammates, and boyfriend, now.

* * *

_Can I ask you a question?_

_Anything, Fox._

_Did you ever - I mean. When you were in the White Fang, did you ever kill people?_

_Yatsuhashi sighed. Yes. My brother found enjoyment in… more. I think they wanted me to do a lot more than I was, but I couldn't ever bring myself to do it. I avoided killing, when I could, but it wasn't always possible. The things I've done, Fox - I'll never be clean of them._

_Fox leaned into Yatsuhashi. I love you regardless._

_Yatsu's breath hitched. I love you too._

The night air was cool against his skin as he tossed the blanket to one side. Sitting up, he pressed the heels of his hands into his closed eyes until he saw stars. 

The nightmares he could handle, but the memories - the dreams that just replayed his happiest moments with his partner were the worst. He didn't want to forget, but he also couldn't keep hiding his sleeplessness from Coco and Velvet.

Fox spent as much time away from them as he could. He loved his teammates, but he didn't even know how to begin talking to them about this. He stood up and walked out of the half-destroyed building they'd made camp in. 

He enjoyed the feeling of the cool night air, reveling in the peace and quiet. 

"Fox."

He jumped and turned, fists up and ready for a fight. It wasn't much of a threat without his weapon, but it was something.

"I'm not here to fight you." As she spoke again, he relaxed, recognizing Velvet's girlfriend.

He used his semblance to reply, preferring not to risk waking up his teammates. " _Blake. What are you doing here?_ " He thought she'd left with her team. He'd spent a couple of nights consoling Velvet after she'd taken off.

She let out a long sigh. " _I saw what happened - with Yatsu._ "

He stiffened. 

" _Fox,_ " she touched his shoulder. " _I knew him from before - before Beacon._ " She paused. " _We were in the White Fang together._ "

He closed off his mind at the sudden churning thoughts. He hadn't known she was a faunus, but that shouldn't have surprised him - not with how close she was with Velvet and Yatsu. "What about it?" he asked aloud, voice thick. 

"Sit with me?" she asked, sinking down to the ground, and he followed suit. "How much did he tell you about his time in the Fang?"

He closed his eyes, thinking back to the first time he'd told Yatsu he'd loved him - and the conversation that had lead to it. He re-opened the telepathic connection to her, sending bits and fragments of that talk - keeping their relationship out of it. " _Some._ "

" _You know who… who Adam Taurus is?_ "

" _I know Yatsu worked under him._ "

She let out a long sigh. " _The Daichi twins were his right and left hand men. Adam doesn't take that kind of betrayal lightly, Fox._ " She paused, voice thick when she started aloud. "I found that out first hand, nearly lost Yang in the process. If he knew about Velvet…" 

The silence hung between them.

"I have to believe he's alive," Fox said.

Blake started to say something, then stopped. 

Fox opened up his semblance again, giving her a mental nudge. " _Is this easier?_ "

" _Yatsu was always kind to me. He was the first I trusted when I figured out I was a girl. A lot of the other Fang members said they couldn't tell the difference between him and Yōkan, but I could. Yatsuhashi was never cruel._ "

Fox frowned, tilting his head.

" _He wasn't cruel, but so many of our brothers were - Adam is a terrible person, Fox, and so I hope Yatsuhashi isn't alive. I hope he's not alive, because I wouldn't wish the alternative on him._ " 

Fox pressed the palms of his hands into his closed eyes, willing the tears away. Her words rang true and lined up with the things Yatsuhashi had told him, but that didn't make it any less painful to hear that he should hope his partner was dead, lest he suffer a worse fate. "Thank you. I still have to try, though."

"And if it doesn't work?"

"Then I'm taking Adam down with me." He wasn't angry, or sad, just numb. "Thank you, Blake."

He half-expected her to try and convince him otherwise. But instead she stood up. "Don't tell Velvet I was here, please. I - I'm still going to Menagerie first." 

"Of course," he promised as she left.

* * *

_Why'd you leave?_

_Yatsuhashi shifted uncomfortably._

_I just didn't belong any more._

When he left his tent that morning, Yōkan sought him out almost immediately. "Adam wants to talk - plan out what's happening next."

Yatsuhashi nodded and they walked through camp together.

Even the new recruits who had never seen the Daichi twins together, quickly moved out of their way. Two seven foot tall men, both built like houses, commanded space regardless of whether they demanded it. 

When they entered Adam's tent, Yōkan took of his mask without a second thought, Yatsu following a moment later. 

He was a little surprised to see Yōkan flashing his shark teeth so easily, but he supposed he'd missed a lot in the past three years. 

Adam, as ever, left his mask on. He was pouring over a map of Mistral. 

Though it'd been three years since he'd last read a White Fang map, the codes came back to him with ease. 

The main White Fang encampment was labeled, as well as a route across Anima that avoided most of the settlements. 

"Yatsuhashi. It's good to see you back on your feet. We've missed you."

Adam smiled at him, and it was all he could do to not shudder. But he had an easy lie ready - given the circumstances, it wasn't even a true lie. "It's good to be back."

Yōkan moved around the table, brushing shoulders with Adam as he leaned over the table. 

"What's the plan?" 

Adam rolled out another map, this one of the White Fang headquarters. "Sienna has requested my presence back in Mistral."

Yōkan didn't say anything, just mulled over the map, which had the throne room and Sienna's quarters clearly marked. 

"We'll go, of course, but I want you and Yatsuhashi to go ahead of us. We need more friends in the headquarters than we have now."

"That can be arranged. What should we prepare for?"

"Sienna is better than Ghira ever was, however it's time for a truly new regime." 

Yatsuhashi nodded, though a sinking feeling in his stomach told him he and Adam didn't quite see eye to eye on what that new regime should look like. 

"We'll eliminate Sienna, and I'll take my rightful place as leader of the White Fang." 

He nodded numbly, even as Yōkan started to lay out the plan to convince guards to join their side. He had preferred Ghira as a leader, but Sienna had done good things as well. 

He wasn't so sure Adam would continue down that path. 

"Then what?"

"Then…" he stared off into the distance for a moment. "Those still loyal to me in Menagerie will handle the next steps. After that, we take down Haven Academy."

* * *

_I'm not ready to tell them._

_Coco knows I'm gay -_

_Yatsuhashi closed his eyes. You're the only person I've ever told._

_Then we'll wait - until you're ready._

"What I don't understand is why they targeted him." 

Fox made his way back to his teammates, heart heavy in his chest after his chat wit Blake. Coco's question made him wince. There was so much they didn't know. 

Velvet made a noncommittal noise. 

"Fox - he was your partner. Any ideas as to why they'd target Yatsu?"

He only got to hear about the White Fang grunts carting Yatsuhashi away. The fact he'd been somewhere else kept him awake at night. "Yes," he grunted, working on rolling up his bedding. "He was ex-Fang."

The sharp inhalations of breath came in stereo. Velvet may have known Yatsu was a faunus, she didn't know he was ex-Fang. He supposed it didn't matter how many secrets he told them, but he was going to try and stick to the basics. Yatsu at least deserved that. 

"The White Fang is a pretty exclusive organization," Coco said, words coming out haltingly. 

"And they don't take kindly to traitors," he said, dodging the unspoken question in Coco's statement. She didn't really need to know more than what he'd told her.

"And they caught him," Velvet said, horror creeping into her voice. "They have him and… we have to get him back. Fox - Coco - we have to - "

"What, break into a _White Fang encampment_ and steal back one of their prisoners?" Fox demanded, voice breaking. He took a deep breath to settle himself - it was harder to keep his voice deep if he was worked up - before continuing. "This is assuming he's even alive." The words came out clipped as he parroted Blake. "I wouldn't wish the alternative on him."

"So what do we do?"

"I'm going to go raze the encampment to the ground or die trying," Fox said, stretching his arms as he put his weapons on. "And, honestly, I don't really care which happens first."

Maybe he should have held out hope for his partner, but he knew too much - not everything, but enough to know that Blake was right when she advised him to hope that Yatsuhashi had died. 

Adam Taurus didn't take kindly to traitors.

* * *

_Yatsuhashi guided Fox's hands over his sides, letting him feel the armored skin that covered his chest and abs._

_Shark? Fox asked._

_Yes - my brother has shark teeth; he's self-conscious about it._

_Harder to hide. Fox pulled Yatshashi in closer, running his hand down his back._

_He wore a full mask, even around other Fang members. I wore one too - made it easier to pass as one another if needed._

"We need to talk." Coco's heels clicked on the pavement. 

Fox sighed and shrugged his pack on. "About?" His voice felt rough, but his thoughts wouldn't settle and he didn't dare open his mind to Coco.

"I'm not going to ask the stupid questions about why I wasn't told. But you cannot storm a White Fang encampment on your own and expect to survive it." 

"I'm not."

"Fox - I can't say I know what it's like to love someone like that without being loved in return." She cursed quietly. "Gods know I've been the uninterested one so many times before. But that doesn't mean you should throw your life away on him."

It wasn't like that, but it was one secret he wouldn't give up. Yatsuhashi hadn't wanted to tell anyone, even after Velvet had started her transition halfway through freshman year. 

He shook his head. "It's my decision to make - and I can't - " His voice broke. "I can't accept he's gone."


	3. Act III

The trip to Anima took longer than they expected. Between the CCT being down and needing to avoid most major travel corridors, it was nearly two months before Yatsuhashi and Yōkan were at the White Fang compound. 

Yatsuhashi wanted to talk to his brother, tell him about Beacon, his teammates, but he couldn't find the words. 

Yōkan didn't seem to know what to talk about either.

Instead of going into personal discussions, he talked about the mission over and over.

_We're going ahead. Once Adam and the others arrive, we're to collect as much dust as possible in preparation of the battle at Haven._

Yatsuhashi wondered if the battle of Haven would be easier than the battle of Beacon.

* * *

_Why did you leave?_

_Yatsuhashi wrapped his arm around Fox's waist, pulling him closer. Hm?_

_The Fang, I mean. You left your brother, the only people you ever knew…_

_He sighed. It was just too much. After Ghira stepped down, there was just too much death, destruction. I saw so many people die - and not just killed by humans, either._

Velvet stalked back into their makeshift camp and threw something so hard it shattered against the tree. " _I am NEVER wearing one of those again_ ," she sent through their telepathic link, seething.

The grim mask, of course. Fox offered a gentle " _Thank you_ ," not quite sure what to say. 

Coco, on the other hand, was all about business. " _What did you find?_ "

The silence felt oppressive. Fox found himself wanting someone to break it, despite his general reluctance to talk, but none of them risked drawing more attention to themselves than strictly necessary. 

" _Nothing. He wasn't there - no prisoners, no brother - no one._ " The disgusted shudder reverberated through their minds. " _I couldn't ask outright, I didn't want people to suspect something was up - a new recruit was already suspicious enough…_ " She paused, and reached out to put a comforting hand on Fox's shoulder. " _I'm so sorry Fox._ "

He nodded, not trusting his mental or physical voice right then. 

" _So that's it then_ ," Coco said. Her sorrow hit Fox like a punch to the gut. He'd been willing to accept that Yatsuhashi was likely gone, but to hear Coco say the same was another thing entirely. " _We should figure out a plan of attack then._ "

" _I did learn one thing. They're going after Haven - the way they did at Beacon. Not just the Vale branch either, they're about to head to Mistral and gather support there too._ "

Fox rolled the new information around in his head. As much as he wanted to burn the camp to the ground - or at least try - he couldn't. It wouldn't stop the attack on Haven, likely not even make a dent in the attack force. 

" _We have to try and stop them_ ," Coco said, echoing his feelings. " _Or at least warn the school._ "

" _Do you think we'll be able to warn them in time?_ " Velvet asked. 

It was a reasonable question - with the CCT down and most commercial transports focused on refugees, it would take months to get to Mistral. 

Fox finally found his voice. " _We've got to try - we can't… we can't let Beacon happen again._ " 

If he couldn't avenge his partner, the least he could do would be try to stop someone else from losing theirs.

* * *

_Yatsuhashi? his brother's voice was thick with tears - ones that hadn't fallen for days. Ones that Yatsuhashi didn't think would ever fall._

_What's wrong, Yōkan? he asked, gently. The question was ridiculous because there was so much wrong right now, but he didn't know what else to say._

_It's really just us now, isn't it?_

_We have the Fang. They'll be our family._

_But we'll always have each other, right?_

_Always._

He shoveled dirt in preparation of the funeral. It wouldn't be a long one, given the circumstances, but _Maidens_ did it hurt. 

Yōkan helped him dig. 

"How many more?" he asked Yōkan, voice low. He didn't want it to seem like he was questioning what was happening, but it still made his stomach churn. 

Yōkan sighed. "Adam just had me send word to Menagerie - Kali and Ghira are next."

He kept his face carefully neutral, though his churning stomach threatened to eject his breakfast. "Blake?" He almost didn't ask. He didn't want anyone here to know how close they'd been. 

"She'll be - " Yōkan stopped mid-sentence. "Adam wants to talk to her personally."

Of course. He closed his eyes and leaned on the shovel. This was why he'd left. The death and _obsession_ with what was right and wrong - all by Adam's terms.

"Did you see her at all, at Beacon, I mean." 

The hairs on the back of Yatsuhashi's neck rose. He knew of Adam and Blake's history - and he was starting to have suspicions about Yōkan and Adam. 

He'd seen a lot of her - between their shared history and her growing relationship with Velvet, it was impossible not to. 

But instead of trying to explain this, he did something that would have been unthinkable three years ago. 

He lied to Yōkan.

* * *

The three of them arrived at Haven on the heels of the White Fang. They had tried to travel faster, but found it impossible with the press of grimm. Instead, they chose the safer route of following behind in the wake of the encampment and trying not to get caught, and hoping that there would be time to warn Haven once they got to Mistral. 

Once they reached Haven, they had no such luck - the White Fang immediately went to work setting bombs and securing the perimeter. 

Fighting broke out almost immediately in the main hall, but team CFVY stuck to the edges, punching holes in the fortifications as best they could, while picking off stragglers. They'd split up, trying to ensure that they did as much damage as possible without being caught.

Fox was picking his way through the trees next to the CCT when he heard someone approach, and he ducked behind some of the trees.

"Watch for humans trying to interfere. I have this side of the tower."

The voice made Fox's blood run cold. It wasn't quite the same, but similar enough to Yatsuhashi's that Fox had no doubt this was his brother. 

Footsteps and the sound of a chainsaw confirmed his suspicions. Crouching in his hiding spot, he waited until everyone else seemed to be gone before leaping out at him. 

" _Fo_ -" was all his opponent managed to get out before he had to go on the defensive, bringing the chainsaw up and around to block Fox's attack. 

Fox didn't give him a chance to react, he simply pressed forward, trying to land blow after blow, all while ignoring the tears streaming down his face. 

A distant part of him was pleased that this person seemed unable to get in an attack between his blows, but he wasn't focused on that. 

" _Stop!_ " his opponent cried out at one point when Fox had fallen back slightly to regain his footing. His heart was pounding heavily in his ears as the chainsaw was abruptly cut off. There was a dull thud of something hitting the ground.

Fox didn't think about the implications there, just threw himself back into the onslaught. 

But his opponent was ready this time, easily catching one of Fox's fists and not letting go. 

Instead of throwing him or hurting him, his opponent just held his hand there, making it nearly impossible to move, even as Fox struggled to get away from him. 

"Fox, stop, please." His opponent's voice wasn't so muffled now, and Fox's heart broke with how much it sounded like Yatsuhashi. 

" _Fuck you_ ," he spat, finally wrenching his fist away. 

"I'm not going to fight you, Fox." This time the words came out choked, as if through tears. "It's me, Yatsu, I swear it."

Fox shook his head - he wouldn't fall for that trick. But his next attacks were sloppier, he couldn't quite bring himself to go full out, because what if it _was_. 

His opponent only blocked them, not taking any opportunity to fight back. "Fox, please," he begged. "Don't do this." 

He stuttered to a halt, swiping the tears away. "There's nothing you could say that would convince me you're him." Fox tried to sound confident, but the armor he'd built around his heart was shattering and he wanted nothing more than for this to be the truth. 

"Then let me show you," he said. 

Fox lowered his fists, no longer poised to attack. 

"I'm going to take your hand," the other man said a moment before Fox felt the contact. He didn't resist as the bigger man moved his hand to his side. 

Scales. He could feel the shark scales, rough skin under the cloth. 

Reaching out with his other hand, Fox felt along Yatsu's exposed arm, finding the scar he had left almost two years ago during one of their first training sessions together. 

"Yatsu?"

* * *

There was no use trying not to cry as he pulled his partner into his arms. Fox hadn't removed his weapons, but they managed to intertwine their arms around one another, both of them openly weeping. 

"I thought you were dead," Yatsu whispered into the top of his head. 

Fox nodded, arms wrapping around him tighter. "Blake told me who you were and we thought…"

"It's okay, it doesn't matter now." The _we_ gave him hope. "Coco and Velvet?" he asked, not sure he dared to hope. The twisted metal of Coco's belt buckle was tucked under his shirt - surely she couldn't have made it…

"They're here, we all got out without a scratch." Fox leaned into Yatsuhashi, hugging him tighter. "I - I had to tell them some things." 

Yatsu tilted Fox's face up towards him. "We're together now, it doesn't matter." It would have consequences, whatever Fox had told them, but he didn't care right now. For now, he pressed his lips against Fox's, savoring a the long, slow kisses he'd been missing.

The familiar sound of heels on cobblestones had Fox breaking the kiss, though Yatsu wasn't letting him completely pull away. 

"Coco's coming," he said. "They don't know we're - "

"I don't care," Yatsuhashi said. "I've spent too long hiding. Let them see - unless you…"

Fox gave him another, brief kiss. "I don't care."

"Fox?" Coco's voice cut through their reunion. "Is - _Maidens_." The word came out half-choked. "Yatsu?"

He kept his grip on Fox. "Coco. You're - you're alive."

"I could say the same of you." She strode towards the two of them, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Velvet's around… somewhere close," she gestured vaguely and then pulled out her scroll to send a quick message. Even with the CCT down it would go through at this range. "We thought - we didn't think we'd see you again."

"Yōkan told me you'd been killed at Beacon - I saw what had happened, the aftermath, the refugees…" He held Fox a little tighter. "I should have checked better."

Coco looked down. "We - when they grabbed you, they managed to separate you from us, and by the time we got through to you…" she shook her head. "We should have tried harder too." She reached out and touched his arm. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "It's not your fault."

Fox carefully extracted himself from Yatsuhashi's arms, wiping his eyes. He mourned the loss of the touch, but Fox simply moved so that he could hold Yatsuhashi's hand instead. 

Coco raised an eyebrow, but wasn't able to say anything before Velvet approached - letting out a startled yelp when she realized who was there. 

He ended up giving them all hugs, having not once stopped crying.

* * *

They had almost gotten out without incident. 

Velvet had even gotten a chance to see Blake before she joined her team.

But things were never that easy. 

Fox heard the heavy tread of boots and started to turn just as Yōkan spoke. 

"Brother." 

The deep voice sounded remarkably like Yatsuhashi's, but his Rs rolled in a way that was unfamiliar. 

Yatsuhashi flinched at the sound, but his voice was steady. "Did you know?"

"We wanted you back home."

_Yes_ , Fox translated. Yatsuhashi's hand squeezed his. 

"The Fang hasn't been home in years. My school, my team - that's my home now." 

"You'd leave your own flesh and blood for them? For a couple humans?" Yōkan asked, voice heavy. 

Yatsuhashi turned to Fox. "For them, I'd do anything," he said. "But that doesn't mean I have to leave you behind. Come with me, Yōkan."

There was a pause. "I - I can't. I'm sorry, brother."

"It's okay. If you ever change your mind…" 

"I'll come looking for you." Yōkan left, his heavy foot falls fading into the distance. 

" _Are you sure you don't want to go with him? He's your family after all_ ," Fox asked Yatsu privately. 

He cupped Fox's cheek. "You three are my family now," he said, then gave Fox a long, lingering kiss. 

After a moment, Coco sighed. "Okay, fine, we'll get a hotel room!" she said, though Fox could hear the smile in her voice. "I really don't need to see the two of you make out."

"I mean…"

"Nope, not happening. Come on, let's get somewhere safer."

The four of them laughed and left Haven, finally back together as a team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking around :)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on [Tumblr](http://www.lydiaroguepersonal.tumblr.com) and [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/lydiarogue).


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